The Grey Area
by TaintedPen01
Summary: The terms 'good', and 'bad', aren't always black and white. Sometimes there's a grey area.
1. Prologue - 1

Part 1 - The Past

**Age 5**

The day had started out very ordinary.

Hisaka Kouhei shifted the basket filled with various fruits and vegetables to her other hand for the umpteenth time, silently wishing that she hadn't purchased as much. She hurried to escape the market area before the usual noisy crowd appeared to disrupt the serene peace. She had come in the morning to avoid the very scenario she was about to face but had gotten stalled by the various trinkets and goods that the vendors had tried to sell to her. Hisaka cast a glance up at the misty skies above her and figured that she had a few hours to cook her husband a welcome back meal before he returned from his mission.

"Get out of here, you pest!" An angry voice to her left yelled.

Hisaka glanced to the side just as a small form bumped into her, taking her by surprise. She stumbled slightly and the basket she was holding tipped to the side precariously, a few of the fruits it was holding spilling out and hitting the ground. For Hisaka Kouhei, it was physically impossible for her to bear children of her own, so that was why her heart nearly melted when she looked down and saw the small child sprawled on the ground in front of her, as it almost always did when she saw young children. The young boy moaned from his spot on the ground and scrunched his face up in displeasure. Hisaka quickly knelt in front of the boy and looked him over.

"Are you alright?" She asked, frowning slightly as she noticed that he wore a half-torn shirt that was almost brown from the dirt covering it, and pants that looked to be almost two sizes to small for him.

The boy blinked open his eyes and scrambled onto his feet, simply staring at her. It took Hisaka a few seconds of silence to realize that he was waiting for a reprimand. She was about to speak when he noticed the bruised fruits on the ground and looked up at Hisaka with round, crystal-blue eyes. "I'm sorry miss!"

Hisaka just about melted on the spot upon catching sight of his expression. She glanced at the fruits before looking back at him. "Oh that? Don't worry about it." She smiled at him.

Despite what she had said, the boy picked up as many of the fruits as he could carry and began to put them back into the basket. As he picked up the last fruit, a badly bruised tomato, his stomach rumbled and he gazed at it longingly before dropping it in the basket.

Hisaka paused. "Are you hungry?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up.

Hisaka placed the basket on the ground and pulled out an apple, holding it in front of her in offering. "Here, you can have this."

"Don't fall for that act, lady." The voice from before snorted.

Hisaka glanced to the side as the boy hastily grabbed the apple from her hands and immediately bit a chunk out of it. A baker was standing in front of his bakery with a broom in hand, scowling in the direction of the boy. She looked back down as the boy turned and stuck his tongue out at the baker, juice from the apple dribbling down his chin.

"Where are your parents?" Hisaka asked after deciding to ignore the baker. Said baker snorted again and walked back into his shop, slamming the door behind him.

The boy glanced up at her for a few seconds and shrugged. "I dun got any."

Hisaka froze. It made sense that the boy was homeless, given his dirty appearance and clothing, though she wondered why she didn't realize it earlier. Her heart softened at the thought of what his life had to be like. "How old are you?"

He stopped eating his apple and turned to stare at her as if the thought of his age had never occurred to him before. "I dunno."

Hisaka frowned. She glanced up at the sky. She still had a little while before her husband came home, but it would be best for her to start cooking soon in case he arrived early.

The boy suddenly dropped the mostly eaten apple on the ground in front of him and licked his dirt-ridden hands.

Hisaka frowned upon watching this. By looking a bit closer at his form she could see that he looked scrawny and malnourished, his ribs visible through his tattered shirt. "You live out here by yourself?" She asked.

The boy nodded vigorously. "Come."

Hisaka straightened in contemplation. She really didn't have time for this, but maybe seeing that he was staying in a relatively good place would make her feel better about leaving him here by himself.

While she was thinking, the boy had run forward and now was waiting impatiently for her to follow. Hisaka quickly followed him, even as he turned into an alleyway and pointed out a corner near a pile of trash. "There."

"There?" Hisaka asked incredulously. She could barely stand the smell of it, and wasn't sure how the boy seemed so unfazed by all of it. After a few seconds she took a step back and coughed, almost gagging as she inhaled more of the smell.

The boy nodded, looking confused.

"What about the orphanage? Why can't you stay there?" She asked, looking at the spot he pointed out again. No one should have to live surrounded by a bunch of trash.

The boy looked even more confused. "Orp.. Orph..?" He frowned in frustration when he couldn't say the word.

She frowned. The boy had obviously never heard of the orphanage before. Hisaka herself didn't know exactly where the orphanage was, as she'd never needed to look for it, but she had heard of its recent construction somewhere in Kiri. She looked around the alleyway once more before making a decision. She couldn't just leave the boy here in this. Hisaka bent down in front of him and lowered her basket to the ground to relieve her arm, if even for a moment. "Listen." She began hesitantly. "I want you to come with me to my house." Upon seeing his confused and suspicious expression she quickly added, "Just for a little while."

The boy took a step back, looking uncertain and guarded. More guarded than a boy of his age should ever be. Hisaka resisted the sudden urge to reach out and pull the boy into her arms. A few long seconds passed. "Jus' a lil wile?" He repeated slowly.

Hisaka nodded, a bit of happiness filling her, mixed with a smidge of regret. She hadn't expected the boy to say yes, in all honesty. Though he still looked at her with guarded eyes, she stood and slowly held out a hand for him to take. Instead, he stared at it like it was a foreign object. Hisaka hastily pulled her hand back, feeling a bit foolish for thinking that the boy would warm up to her so quickly.

"Follow me." She walked out of the alleyway and then stopped, checking back to make sure he was following. The boy stopped right behind her and stared at her. Hisaka ignored his look and continued walking, though she did peer back every so often to make sure he was still there.

It took ten minutes for her to get home.

Hisaka pulled a key out of her shirt pocket and unlocked the front door, stepping inside. She gestured for the boy to follow her as she went to the kitchen, though he stopped on the threshold and was hesitantly looking inside. Hisaka placed the basket on one of the kitchen counters and glanced behind her only to see that the boy hadn't follow her. She turned around completely and glanced around. With a small frown she went back towards the front door only to see the boy still standing in the same spot as before.

Hisaka hid a small smile. "There's nothing to be afraid of here. Come in."

The boy looked at her nervously for a few more seconds before stepping inside. As he stepped inside the house, Hisaka told herself that she would only allow him to stay until he'd been properly feed and bathed, and then she would take him to the orphanage herself. Hisaka moved to close the door as the boy took a few small steps forward, looking completely lost.

"Take your-" Hisaka stopped short upon realizing that the boy was barefoot. She frowned again, wondering, not for the first time, what the boy's life had been like.

The boy looked confused. "Wha-?"

"Never mind." Hisaka sighed and looked him over, wondering what she should do first. Bathe him or feed him? "Alright, we'll start with a bath." She decided.

He looked even more confused. "What that?"

"A bath?" She asked, blinking.

He nodded.

"Well." She paused, thinking of how to explain it. "It's… something that makes you clean."

The boy paused for a few moments before glancing down at himself. "Not.. clean?"

"No you're not. That's why you need a bath to get clean. Come with me." Hisaka headed straight for the bathroom next to her bedroom and the guest room, while the boy had stared in wonderment at everything he passed by as he followed her.

She stopped in front of the tub and turned on the pipe, watching the water fill the tub for a few seconds before turning back to the boy. "Take off your clothes."

"Why?"

"They're dirty, and you can't bathe in them. I'll clean them after I clean you." Hisaka would do no such thing. He needed fresh clothes, not the rags he had on.

The boy seemed to think this over for a few long seconds before pulling off his shirt with difficulty, getting the collar stuck around his head and flailing around a bit before he managed to get it off. Hisaka had watched in growing amusement, too afraid that he'd reject her touch if she tried to help him. He quickly stripped out of his pants and what little was left of his underwear. Hisaka had almost gagged at the sight of it. She turned off the pipes when she thought the water was sufficient.

"Now, go in the water."

The boy looked between her, the water and back again before slipping into the tub and plopping down into a sitting position, splashing water everywhere. The water was quickly becoming a murky brown color. Hisaka turned away from him for a second and rifled through a cabinet, pulling out a box. She opened it and paused, slightly hesitant to be washing a random homeless child. The regret from earlier started coming back to her. Hisaka glanced at the boy, and saw him splashing the water with his arms, even though it was going all over the floor. She took a deep breath, coming to a decision and emptied the soap into her hands, with renewed determination. She had allowed this child to come with her, thereby making him her responsibility. Hisaka turned back to the tub and reached forward, soap in hand. The boy recoiled, moving back against the wall of the tub.

Hisaka stopped. "This is soap. It's used to clean things and i'm just going to use it to get you cleaned up."

The boy looked suspiciously at the soap but relaxed slightly and allowed her to clean the dirt off of his body and hair. By the end of it, the bath water was a disturbing brown color. Hisaka rifled through the cabinet again, pulling out a white towel. She held it in front of the bath.

"Come out and step into this. It'll dry you off."

The boy hesitated for a long moment before standing, stepping onto the wet floor and allowing Hisaka to wrap the towel around him. He winced as his feet hit the ground. Upon seeing this, she glanced at his feet, and frowned. He had small cuts all over the visible parts of his feet. Hisaka lightly pushed him out of the bathroom with a small sigh, glancing back to look at the mess that she would have to clean up later. He didn't protest as she gently pushed him in the direction of the guest bedroom.

"Go in there. I'll be right back." Hisaka smiled encouragingly before ducking into her and her husband's bedroom.

She quickly peered under the bed and pulled out a small brown box. Hisaka opened it and glanced over the hidden medical supplies, pulling out wrappings and salve. She stood and made her way back to the guest bedroom where the boy was standing in the center of the room, staring at the door. Hisaka gave him a small smile as she set the medical supplies down on the single bed that was lined up against the wall closest to the door. She went to the dresser against the opposite wall and pulled it open, looking at the small wardrobe within. It was her nephew's wardrobe, from the frequent times that he stayed over while his parents were on a mission. She didn't think he'd notice if a shirt or pants was missing. Hisaka bit her lip as she glanced at the boy and then at the clothing, estimating his size. She pulled out a short-sleeved purple shirt and white shorts, tossing them onto the bed for later use along with a pair of undergarments. She turned back to the boy and couldn't help but smiling when she saw half the towel he was wearing dragging on the ground beside him, despite his best efforts to keep it wrapped around himself.

She moved towards the bed. "Come here."

He glanced at the various things on the bed before slowly walking towards her. Hisaka took the towel off and dried him as best as she could, tossing it to the side after she was done. She frowned when she saw a half-healed wound stretching across his lower back and opened the salve container, beginning to apply it to the wound. The boy looked startled at her touch and tried to move away, only for her to grab his arm to keep him in place.

"Stay still." She chastised. "This'll make your cuts better."

The boy ceased struggling, though he remained tense as she finished applying the salve and tied wrappings around the wound.

"Now, let me see your feet." Hisaka said sternly.

The boy stared for a few long seconds before slowly climbing onto the soft surface of the bed. Hisaka grabbed one of his feet and looked at the bottom, almost wincing. The bath had cleaned most of the dirt and gravel out of the open wounds on his feet, but the crisscrossing cuts all over the sole of his foot still wasn't a pretty sight. Hisaka applied salve and bandaged his foot, doing the same with the other one. She gestured to the clothes on the bed. "Put those on."

The boy opened his mouth to protest when Hisaka held up her hand to stop him. "Your other clothes are dirty, and still need to be cleaned." She explained. The boy glanced at the clothes and stubbornly waited until he began shivering to begrudgingly put them on. The shirt and pants were a little big for him, but they weren't too bad.

Hisaka nodded approvingly. "Now, let's get you something to eat."

The boy crossed his arms and huffed indignantly, though his stomach's grumbling gave him away. Hisaka smiled at his display and left the room, knowing that he'd follow. She went to the kitchen and prepared to make Tonkatsu.

(-)

An hour and a half later Hisaka scooped some shredded cabbage out of a small bowl and dropped it next to the curry on a plate. She placed the plate, along with utensils, in front of the boy, who had resorted to sitting around the wooden table after standing for half an hour.

"I never got your name. What is it? I'd like to stop thinking of you as just 'the boy'." Hisaka asked, having been too pre-occupied with other things to ask.

The boy forced his gaze away from the food in front of him for a split second. He titled his head in thought and then finally, he shrugged. "Dun got one."

Hisaka blinked several times. What kind of child didn't have a name? "Well, I'll think of one for you? How's that?"

The boy nodded distractedly, scooping up some of the curry with his fingers. Hisaka narrowed her eyes and lightly slapped his hand from its position a few centimeters above the food, causing him to drop the rice back into place. He froze for a few seconds before looking at her in confusion.

"You don't eat everything with your hands. Use that spoon for the rice, or it would just get everywhere and make a big mess." Hisaka chastised, pointing towards the spoon sitting next to his plate.

The boy simply stared at her for a few long seconds, as if he'd never heard of such a thing before, which might have been the case. Hisaka stared back, until the boy looked away and reached for the spoon.

"Wipe off your hands first." Hisaka said.

The boy looked at her strangely again, but started to do as he was told, moving to wipe his hand off on his shirt.

"No!" Hisaka said, rushing to get a napkin before he ruined his shirt. She quickly handed it to him. "Don't ever wipe food on your shirt."

His sticky fingers did leave a droplet or two on his shirt, despite Hisaka's best efforts. The boy wiped his hands with the napkin given to him, and then grabbed the spoon, fully expecting Hisaka to interrupt and tell him he was doing something wrong again. When she didn't, he glanced at her before scooping up the food and stuffing the majority of the spoon in his mouth.

Hisaka turned away, satisfied, and went to prepare a plate for her husband. She had just set the plate down on the table when the front door opened and her husband stepped inside.

The boy was too busy stuffing his face to notice.

Her husband was wearing the jonin flak-jacket of Kiri, and when he turned to face her there was a tired smile on his face and light bags under his eyes. Hisaka smiled as well, filled with happiness at the sight of him. She began to walk towards him when his eyes snapped to the boy, and a weary look appeared in his eyes.

"Who's that?" He asked immediately.

Hisaka's smile faltered. "Welcome back, honey."

The boy finally stopped eating long enough to look up, and his spoon froze in mid-air halfway to his mouth, his eyes widening.

"Who's that?" He asked again, recieving no answer.

Her husband narrowed his eyes. "Hisaka." He said, voice serious.

Hisaka frowned. "Well, Denjiro. This is.. Nori.." She thought on the spot.

Denjiro's eyes flicked from his wife's to 'Nori's.'

'Nori' blinked, stunned at being given a name so suddenly.

"Yes, and what is he doing here?" Denjiro asked.

Hisaka sighed. "I-I found him on my way home from the market."

Denjiro's eyebrows disappeared beneath his hairline. He turned to face his wife completely. "You.. _found_ him?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes.." Hisaka bit her lip.

Denjiro stared at her for a few seconds before looking at 'Nori' again. "I'll deal with this in the morning." He announced and promptly strode past them and into their bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Hisaka sighed and walked over to 'Nori'. "That was my husband." 'Nori' was just about to ask what a husband was when Hisaka changed the subject. "How do you like the name I chose for you?" She gave him a small smile.

Nori shrugged, but he also didn't outright object.

Hisaka took that as a good sign. "Alright, I think its time for you to go to sleep." She saw him struggling to keep his eyes open and chuckled.

Hisaka stood and Nori did the same, though he swayed slightly on his feet, barely able to keep his eyes open. She paused before going around the table and picking him up, frowning slightly at how light he felt. He was instantly asleep in her arms. Hisaka allowed herself a small smile as she carried him to the guest room and carefully laid him down on the bed.


	2. Prologue - 2

**A/N: Yeah, I didn't do one of these in the first chapter, but hey! Better late than never right?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or the image I used for this fanfiction.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Hisaka yawned and stretched as the first shafts of filtered sunlight shone through the window. She sat up and glanced next to her to see that the spot where Denjiro usually would be was empty.

She stood and opened the door to the room, going into the kitchen to see her husband sitting at the table with a steaming mug in his hands. He glanced up at her as she approached. "We need to talk about Nori."

Hisaka sighed. "I found him after he bumped into me at the market. You should have seen him, I couldn't leave him out there."

Denjiro sighed deeply. "This is dangerous, he isn't some stray cat or dog, Hisaka. We don't know anything about him. What if he has parents that are looking for him?"

"He doesn't. He told me himself that he doesn't have parents, and he didn't even have a name before I gave him one." Hisaka replied.

This made Denjiro pause. "You gave him his name?"

"He'll only stay for a little while, only until I can find someplace better to put him. I won't let him go back out onto the streets."

Denjiro eyed her. "Is this even about him, or is it about you?"

Hisaka blinked, biting her lip. "It-It's about me."

Denjiro gave a world weary sigh. "He can stay. For a little while."

(-)

Hisaka frowned, pacing her room.

She was supposed to find an orphanage for Nori to go to a month ago, but she had stalled and kept finding excuses to give to Denjiro. Hisaka peered into the guest room, which was more of "Nori's room" now. Nori was tangled in a mess of blue and white sheets, his arm dangling over the side. Hisaka walked into the room and stood in front of the bed, shifting his black hair out of his face. She had grown more attached to him than she had intended to after having taught him some manners and how to properly care for himself. Hisaka honestly didn't think that she would be able to let him go if she ever found the orphanage. Nori was like the son she always wanted.

Hisaka made her way back to her room, and looked at the sleeping form of her husband. She bit her lip and made her way over to his side of the bed, lightly tapping him and half hoping that he wouldn't wake up, but she knew better.

As a Shinobi, Denjiro was programmed to wake up at the smallest of noises or feelings, so he was half-awake instantly. "Hm? Hisaka, what's wrong?" He mumbled sleepily, his eyes closed.

"Denjiro.. we need to talk.." Hisaka began hesitantly.

Denjiro opened his eyes half-way, not liking where this was going. "It's about Nori, isn't it?"

"Yes.."

Denjiro turned to face the other way and promptly pulled a pillow over his head.

"Denjiro. This is important." Hisaka said, adopting her most serious tone.

Denjiro muttered to himself and sat up, turning to face his wife. "I'm listening."

"I think.. I think that we should adopt Nori as our son."

Denjiro didn't even blink. He'd been expecting this for over a month now. "You realize-"

"It doesn't matter. I won't let him go anywhere else, I want him to live here." Hisaka said firmly.

"I'll have to take him to the elders."

At this, Hisaka blanched. "B-But-"

"If the Elder's approve then that's the only way i'll allow him to become my son."

Hisaka bit her lip again. "And if he turns out to be a kekkei genkei wielder?"

Denjiro's eyes hardened. "Then he goes to the orphanage, or.." A muscle in his jaw twitched as he trailed off, looking at the window.

Hisaka paused before nodding. "Fine." She didn't like it when her husband got like this. He came from generations of kekkei genkei detesters and that kind of hard-wiring couldn't be easily swayed.

Hisaka moved backwards as Denjiro swung out of bed and tugged on his flak-jacket. He quickly pulled on a pair of pants, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible so that he could get back to bed. This was the last of his three measly days off before he had to get back to menial work as a shinobi. Denjiro went to the guest room, and shook Nori. The boy jolted upright, blinking at him sleepily.

"Get dressed, i'm taking you somewhere."

Nori looked confused, but too tired to ask questions. He slowly got out of bed and pulled on some clothes from the closet, which he and Hisaka's nephew were now sharing, not that her nephew had ever come over since Nori had came.

"Where are we going?" Nori complained. It was an improvement over the last few moths, before he would only say "Were we goin".

Denjiro didn't answer and instead, walked out of the room and towards the front door. Nori slowly followed. Denjiro opened the front door and pushed Nori out in front of him.

The young boy's eyes widened. "Am I going to the orph..?" He struggled over the word.

"No." Denjiro replied, holding a hand on Nori's back to guide him forward as they walked.

"Then where?"

Denjiro didn't answer, instead steering him to a small house three doors down, with a large training area functioned as the backyard. Denjiro stopped him in front of the front door. He stepped around Nori and knocked once.

A few minutes of silence passed before the door slowly opened and an old man stepped into view, wearing a white and dark blue kimono. "Oh-Denjiro! What an unexpected surprise. There haven't been any meetings.." He trailed off as his eyes traveled to look at Nori. "Oh, and who's this? I haven't seen him before." The old man squinted.

"This is Nori-" Denjiro started.

"Some long-lost son, I've never heard about?" The old man's eyes sparkled with humor.

"No, my wife wants to adopt him."

"What does adopt mean?" Nori asked.

Both adults ignored him. The humor was abruptly gone from the old man's eyes. "Oh. I see. You are simply lucky that Fuji is here for morning tea time. Come in." The old man stepped aside.

Denjiro pushed Nori inside as the old man closed the door behind them. Another old man sat cross-legged on the ground, with a steaming cup in his hands and wearing a matching kimono.

"Hm? What's this about?" The other old man asked.

"Fuji. It's one of those times."

Fuji glanced up and looked at Denjiro for a few seconds before turning his full attention to Nori. "For the child?"

The old man, Bakin, glanced at Nori before walking over to Fuji and whispering something into his ear.

"Ah. I see." Fuji said. He took a small sip of his tea before carefully placing it down on the ground in front of him. He slowly stood and took a few small steps in Nori's direction before coming to a halt. "Come."

"Go." Denjiro said, nodding once when Nori had glanced up at him, and stared down at the young boy with a blank face.

Nori hesitated before taking a couple of steps forward until he was standing right in front of Fuji. Bakin sat so that he was facing both Nori and Fuji, and crossed his legs, interlocking his hands. Denjiro stood next to the door, unmoving.

Both Bakin, and Fuji locked eyes for a moment and Bakin imperceptibly nodded. Fuji turned his gaze back to Nori. "Child, do you know how to use chakra?" He asked.

Nori shook his head, restraining himself from asking what "chakra" was.

Fuji clicked his tongue in disappointment. "That will make things slightly more difficult." He clasped his hands together. "Hold your hands like this and try to focus all your energy into them."

Nori held up his hands and looked at Fuji's for a few seconds before copying the older man's hands. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine all his energy being sucked into a tube and being pushed out the other side into his hands. His face scrunched up from the effort. After a few seconds of silence he peeked.

"Keep your eyes closed boy. I'll tell you when you can open them." Fuji said sternly.

Nori quickly shut his eyes and focused on his imaginary tube.

Fuji waited until he was sure the boy wouldn't open his eyes again without permission and then took the boy's hands within his own. He was sure that the boy wouldn't be able to force very much, if any, chakra to his hands but a small trickle was better to work with than an empty brook. Fuji closed his own eyes and focused on gripping the miniscule amount of chakra the boy had produced like a rope with his own chakra. He discreetly followed Nori's chakra back to its source within the core of his body and allowed trace amounts of his own chakra to mix with the boy's.

Bakin tightened his interlocked fingers and studied every little exterior detail about Nori. How the boy moved, acted, stood, everything. It all mattered. He could see how Nori's eyelid kept twitching every few seconds but refrained from opening his eyes, and he could see that the boy was relaxed. Just by a quick inspection of Nori, Bakin could tell that the boy wasn't holding anything back during this. Bakin unclasped his hands and rested them on his knees. That was good then, he wouldn't really be needed to help examine the boy in that case.

With a frown on his face, Fuji opened his eyes almost five minutes later. He removed his hands from their position and let them hang loosely at his sides. "Open your eyes." He commanded.

Nori gratefully opened his eyes and peered around, feeling oddly exaushted from the effort. To him, it looked like nothing had changed. "Why did you do that?" He asked curiously.

Denjiro narrowed his eyes upon catching Fuji's expression. Fuji took a step back. "There is something unsettling that I found." He paused, and everyone waited for him to continue, even though Nori had his arms crossed and his face looked slightly red with frustration from being ignored twice. "A portion of his chakra, around his midsection, is blocked from the rest of his body."

"What do you mean blocked?" Denjiro asked.

Fuji seemed to take a moment to gather his thoughts. "I mean, someone seems to have sealed away a portion of his chakra. His chakra system doesn't circulate the way it should. A small stream of it diverts off from the rest and is abruptly cut off from continuing on to its unknown destination by.. something that's stopping it." Fuji's frowned deepened at his lack of an explanation.

A moment passed while everyone in the room, except Nori who could barely follow the conversation, digested this.

"Why?" Denjiro finally asked.

Fuji's eyes flared. "Do you think that if I knew that that this would be so unsettling? Do not forget your place."

Denjiro lowered his eyes to the floor. "My sincerest apologies, elder-sama."

"Do you have any idea what that something could be?" Bakin eventually asked.

Fuji looked up at the ceiling. "It could be a seal of some sort, or simply an anomaly in this one child." He mused, striking out the second idea even as he said it.

"Could this pose a problem for the child in the future?"

Fuji paused in thought. "It's possible that he could have trouble maintaining chakra control or ninjutsu for long periods of time, as his chakra would be depleted faster than most others, a portion of it continuously fueling the seal."

"Why would someone use a seal to block off his chakra?" Bakin asked after a moment, though more to himself than anyone else.

Instead of snapping, Fuji simply didn't answer.

Denjiro slowly looked up once everything had gone silent. "And his chakra nature-"

Nori's eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed, falling facedown on the floor.

Bakin glanced at him. "I'm surprised the boy lasted even this long."

Fuji nodded in agreement. "He wasted the majority of his chakra and energy trying to bring his chakra to its intended destination than actually getting it there."

Denjiro lightly coughed.

Fuji turned to look at him with slight annoyance in his eyes, directed at Denjiro's impatience. He paused, considering his answer.

"I suppose we better get on with it." Bakin said lightly.

"The child's chakra nature is water." Fuji said decisively.

Denjiro let out a small breath that he wasn't even aware that he'd been holding. Bakin glanced at Fuji at this, but said nothing. Denjiro turned to look at Bakin. "And what is your opinion, elder-sama?"

"The boy knows restraint, which is rare in a person his age. He's also too open for someone in your profession but just as stubborn as you can be. Among various other facts and details that I could bore you with, I think that your son will make a fine shinobi one day." Bakin said after a moment.

Denjiro sighed deeply at the mention that the boy in front of him was in fact, now essentially his son. He knew his wife too well to think that she would just up and change her mind. Denjiro strode forward and picked up Nori. He hesitated for a moment before swinging the boy over his shoulder, as he wasn't entirely aware of how a father would hold his son in a situation like this.

"Thank you, elders." Denjiro bowed lightly and kept a hand on Nori so he wouldn't fall off. He straightened and made eye contact with both elders before leaving.

(-)

Bakin waited until half an hour had passed to speak again. He turned to his old friend. "Why did you lie to Denjiro about the child's chakra nature?"

Fuji sipped his tea, despite that fact that it had become cold long ago, before speaking. "Too many innocent children have been killed for their bloodline because of my verdict."

Bakin thought that over for a few minutes before nodding. "That is certainly true, but Denjiro will find out about that child one day."

"May Kami himself help that child when he does."

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**Reviews would be lovely.**


	3. Prologue - 3

**Age 7**

"Okaasan! Okaasan!" Nori Kouhei ran into the kitchen and held up a pointed object for his mother to see. A male a year-and-a-half older than him was following at a slower pace.

"Oi, Nori. I told you not to touch that." The male walked into the kitchen, sounding exasperated.

Hisaka turned away from the stove for a moment and looked at the object Nori was holding. Her eyes widened to saucers and she quickly rushed over to take it from him. "Nori! You can't play with things like that!" She frowned at him with her hands on her hips.

"Why?" He asked, looking at his stolen plaything.

Hisaka held the object for him to see. "This is a kunai. It's dangerous and you can really hurt yourself playing with something like this."

Nori's eyes widened in wonder. "That's a real kunai?!"

"Yes, but I don't want you playing with it." She said sternly.

Nori's gaze dropped. "I'm sorry."

Hisaka bent down to his level and enveloped him in a hug. "It's alright Nori. Just don't play with pointy things, okay?"

Nori looked up at her, nodding rapidly. "Okay."

Hisaka straightened with a smile and turned her attention to the other male in the room. "And you! I thought I told you to look out for Nori, hm?!"

The boy took a step back, his hands held up in defense. He looked wide-eyed between Nori and Hisaka, then decisively pointed an accusing finger at Nori. "It was his fault, Obaasan!"

Nori turned to look at him with a shocked expression on his face. "Mine?! Nu-uh!" He turned to his mother and pleaded his case. "It was Haji-nii's fault for going there!"

"Uh-huh! It was your fault for picking up everything you saw!"

Hisaka crossed her arms, and tapped one foot on the ground, but she couldn't help the small glimmer of amusement that entered her eyes as she watched the two boys bicker. "And where exactly is 'there'?" She finally asked.

Both boys turned to look at her with equally guilty expressions on their faces. "The pond." Hajin mumbled.

"You can barely see out there!" Hisaka said with a frown.

"Haji-nii-"

"And stop calling me that!"

"-wanted to go watch the big kids spar."

Hajin turned towards Hisaka, wide-eyed.

"I just wanted to watch, I swear! I wasn't going to train with them or anything but Nori found a bunch of the leftover weapons and wouldn't stop touching them and then he wouldn't stop talking about how much he wanted to show them to you and I couldn't make him put them back and then he ran away from me and-"

"That's enough Hajin." Hisaka said, adopting a stern tone.

"Nu-uh!" Nori retorted.

"Nori!"

Both fell silent as they looked at Hisaka.

"Both of you, go to your room." She commanded.

Hajin frowned but did as he was told. Nori made various whining noises before stomping off to their shared room. Their room, to say the least, was a mess. Dirty laundry practically covered the floor and their shared closet was just a group of half-hung clothes that seemed to be precariously close to joining the pile of clothes that had fallen onto the floor and hadn't bothered to have been picked up. Hajin had claimed the bottom bunk of their new bunk beds the second he'd first seen them, leaving Nori to have the top bunk when he was there.

(-)

It was all Nori could do to keep from falling asleep.

He was sitting behind a grey desk at the back of the classroom and was only half-listening to the instructor as he went on and on about the basics of genjutsu. It was a rare day when the instructor taught them orally about the basics of history, geography, jutsu, weapons, strategies, planning, etc. when most of that stuff could be learned by doing them. Nori hated the days when they had to stay inside and had to listen to their instructor when said instructor could just show them how to do it, as days where the class stayed inside were the most boring days of the week.

Last week they had started into the very basics of ninjutsu. The instructor had taken the class outside and demonstrated the concept by speeding through hand-signs and creating a floating ball of water from thin air. They had all watched the ball in wonder and amazement, up until the instructor had suddenly thrown it at them. Nori had jumped to the side on instinct, and had been one of two to stay dry. His instructor had complimented his "fast reflexes", whatever that meant.

Nori had started the Academy a year late, at the age of six, and despite his classmates only being a year ahead, he was years behind in speech and couldn't read at all. When his mother learned of his inability to read she had immediately gone to Kiri's miniscule library and checked out a mountain of books that she deemed appropriate. They were not children's books, but rather they were books on the long, _long _ history of Kiri, going back as far as the first Mizukage.

She had presented these books to Nori, who had only stared apprehensively at the pile. Then she took the book at the top of the pile (_The History of Kirigakure: Volume I) _and read the first chapter with him. After that, he was practically on his own. She had only helped him with pronunciation and told him the meanings of the words that he didn't know, but Nori only got that little help _after _he struggled through a chapter out loud, by himself.

He was forced to do this every night for hours at a time until a year later, when he was a grade level _ahead _in reading. By that point, his head was swimming with information about Kirigakure.

The only reason they were being forced to stay inside today was because his instructor's weak point was genjutsu and he also didn't know how to demonstrate it properly without scaring them or potentially scarring them for life.

Nori zoned in and out of the instructors lesson, struggling to pay attention and trying to stay awake so that his instructor wouldn't make an "example" out of him, like he'd done with the boy who sat next to him, named Fuyu.

Fuyu had fallen asleep during a history lesson a few months before. It was inside, since the instructor couldn't figure out a way to do a "hands-on" lesson outside about history. The instructor had been in the middle of a sentence when the history book that he had held suddenly slammed into the wall right behind Fuyu's head, and then thumped down on top of him. The class had jumped, startled, but Fuyu had shot upright with a scream, tumbling over himself and falling in a heap on the ground. He had never lived that down.

When the instructor finally dismissed them for the day, Nori had hopped up and rushed out of the classroom as fast as he could. He pushed his way through the sea of students until he spotted a familiar form standing off to the side, away from the dissipating crowd.

"Haji-nii!" Nori yelled happily, running towards the older boy.

Hajin was standing with his hands in his pockets, and he sighed upon hearing Nori. "You say that every time I see you."

"So what?"

"We see each other everyday!"

Nori pouted. "So?!"

Hajin simply sighed and turned around, not being able to think of a reply to Nori's response. He began to walk forward. "Common. Obaasan'll be waiting."

**Age 9**

The sun had barely penetrated the misty skies of Kirigakure when the telltale sound of metal clashing against metal rang out into the air.

Hajin took a quick step backwards, leaving Nori struggling for balance as the weight that he was pressing against suddenly moved.

Hajin took this momentary lapse in concentration to his advantage. He quickly sheathed his tanto. "Water Release: Water Bubbles!" His hands ended in the hare seal.

He sucked in a large breath of air, his chest puffing out for a few moments before he released it. Concentrated, bubble-shaped circles of water spewed from his mouth and shot towards Nori. To Hajin's dismay, more than half of the bubbles popped before they reached Nori.

Nori's eyes still widened and he frantically dived to the side, landing flat on his stomach in the dirt, his tanto skidding away from him. He had underestimated the technique before and had paid the price for it. Each bubble had a small bit of concentrated power in it, and getting hit with the full technique would have sent him flying backwards. However, Hajin hadn't fully mastered the technique yet so instead, it would have just felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"You lose!" Hajin walked towards Nori, his voice triumphant.

Nori groaned but still managed to slap his hands together to form the tiger seal.

"You lost your tanto first, that means you lost. The fight is over." Hajin said upon seeing Nori's hands, and stopped a few feet away from him.

"I'll show you Haji-nii! Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Nori yelled.

Hajin took a step backwards. Mist seemed to thicken around them, adding to the mist that was already there. Hajin looked at where Nori was, and could still see the shape and outline of his body, despite the fact that if the technique was done correctly his visibility should have been zero.

"I can still see you." Hajin drawled, relaxing his stance.

Nori jumped to his feet and pointed a finger at Hajin. "The next time we fight i'll beat you Haji-nii! I swear!" His body was practically shaking in frustration. Of all the times that they had fought or even just sparred, Nori hadn't won _once_.

The extra mist lingered for a few more seconds before dissipating. As soon as the last of it was gone Nori fell to his knees, panting heavily as he felt the aftereffects of the jutsu.

Hajin stood silent for a few seconds before he broke out in a grin. He approached Nori, holding a hand out once he was in front of him. "I'll hold you to it, otouto."

Nori stared up at Hajin, his mouth and eyes wide open in shock at what Hajin had called him.

"Stop staring at me like that. Hurry up, obaasan said she'd make breakfast for us." Hajin said, looking away.

Nori blinked, and a slow grin spread across his face. He grabbed Hajin's hand and allowed the older boy to pull him upright.

Hisaka was placing a second plate of Tamagoyaki next to a first when she heard the sound of footsteps. She looked up at both of her boys, but neither seemed to noticed her for their attention was solely on the two plates of food on the table. Nori's stomach growled. Hisaka coughed lightly.

At that, Hajin looked up at her. "Oh, hey obaasan."

Nori was still entranced by the food and was in the process of walking towards the table.

Hajin elbowed Nori before he could take two steps, and the younger boy doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"Hajin!" Hisaka scolded.

Hajin didn't even have the decency to look abashed. "He wasn't paying attention." He muttered.

Nori straightened with some difficulty, and turned to look at Hisaka. "Good.. morning, okaasan." He choked out.

Hisaka put a hand over her mouth to hide the laugh that was bubbling up from within her. She glanced at Hajin, who had resorted to putting his hands in his pockets.

"After breakfast you need to go home, your parents have asked for you." She said, dropping her hand.

"Aww, why?" He asked with a small frown.

Hisaka put her hands on her hips. "You've been here for two days straight and your parents are going on a mission the day after tomorrow."

"But me and Haji-nii were going to spar some more today!" Nori protested.

Hisaka glanced at him. "You two can spar when Hajin comes back."

Nori grumbled to himself and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

"Why are _my_ parents going on missions all the time?" Hajin muttered.

Hisaka sighed. "All shinobi go on missions from time to time."

"Yeah, but it seems like they go on missions _all _the time."

"Your father works for the _Mizukage_, you know that. Whenever the Mizukage needs him, he's required to go whether or not he wants to. You know he'd rather stay home and help you with your water jutsu. And your mother is a _jonin _of the village, who have to do more of the higher level missions that chunin and genin can't do."

Hajin looked unsatisfied with her answer but didn't reply.

Hisaka sighed again. "Go ahead."

Both boys immediately rushed towards the table and began eating without another word.

(-)

As the morning turned to afternoon Nori found himself standing at the door of his father's study, shifting from one foot to the other nervously. His father had his back to him and seemed to be looking over something on his desk.

"Otousan?" He began tentatively.

His father tensed upon noticing his presence but didn't turn around.

"It's gonna get dark soon.."

"Not now, Nori." His father's frame shook slightly, his hands curling into fists.

"Yesterday you said you'd teach me how to walk on water with only my chakra-"

"Not now Nori!" His father yelled.

Nori flinched. His father had never yelled at him before. He'd blow Nori's constant pestering off, always claiming that he was too busy working and would teach him at some other time. Eventually, Nori had just stopped asking altogether. Recently though, he'd seen a girl in his class showing off by walking _on top _of water and wanted to learn how to do that too.

He felt tears stinging at the corners of his eyes and took a few steps back before he turned and ran into the kitchen, where his mother was washing some dishes.

She turned upon hearing him and stopped short, glancing at him. "Nori? What happened?"

Hisaka turned off the faucet and knelt to get a better look at him. Before she could speak he ran into her arms, tears streaming down his face. He buried his face into her shoulder.

She paused for half a second before wrapping her arms around him, one hand holding the back of his head.

After a few minutes she pulled him backwards, gazing at his downtrodden expression. "What happened?"

"Otou yelled at me."

Hisaka paused, simply staring at Nori for a few seconds as incomprehension settled on her features, her mind still processing what he'd said. "He-he what?" She asked, sure she must have heard him wrong.

"He. Yelled. At. Me." Nori suddenly broke away from her frozen grasp, running towards the backyard.

In all the years that Hisaka had known Denjiro, he had never raised his voice, not once. That was one of the things that had made him the most eligible choice for clan head, and one of the things that she loved about him. What had made him yell at Nori, a child, if he'd never once yelled at her?

Hisaka straightened stiffly, walking towards her husband's study to demand an explanation.

* * *

**Okaasan - Mother**

**Obaasan - Aunt **

**Otousan - Father**

**Nii/Nii-san - Older Brother**

**Tamagoyaki - Type of Japanese Omelette**


	4. Prologue - 4

(-)

Once in the backyard, Nori kicked the ground in frustration, sending a clump of dirt spiraling through the air. Fresh tears formed at the corners of his eyes, despite his best efforts to hold them back. At this, Nori roughly shook his head to get rid of his tears and looked around, at the largely empty space that was the backyard. A few forgotten weapons littered the ground, including his forgotten tanto. An old, battered, training dummy sat off to the side.

Nori promptly stomped over to the dummy and simply stared at it for a few seconds, his hands balling into fists. Then, with a yell, he began punching the dummy. Over and over and over, until blood ran through his fingers and his knuckles throbbed in pain.

Finally, with all his frustration spent, Nori simply slumped with his back against the dummy, pulling his knees up against his chest as the blood from his hands dripped onto the ground beneath him.

"Water Style: Water Spout." A grim voice said.

Nori barely had time to look up before a stream of water crashed into him, pinning his small body against the dummy's form. Nori gasped instinctively in surprise, and water filled his nostrils, mouth and ears, choking him. His eyes bugged out and he frantically paddled upwards, but the relentless current kept him pinned in place, unable to move. Nori's eyes and nose burned and his, already limited, vision was starting to become blurry when the water around him suddenly stopped and he fell to the side, violently coughing and spluttering.

He heard screaming coming from nearby but could barely focus on anything as he threw up water. Nori coughed and threw up again, until the full contents of his stomach had been voided. Only then did his vision begin to clear. After a few moments he forcibly pushed himself into a sitting position, clutching at his chest as he felt a small amount of pulsing pain. He could practically feel his heart pounding against his ribcage.

Nori wiped his mouth and blinked blearily in the direction of the screaming, barely able to think properly. He saw two people, a man and a woman, fighting-wait, no, the woman had a firm grasp around the man's arms and was screaming into his face. Nori blinked again as his mind cleared a little more, making it a bit easier to think. _His mother _was the woman and _his father _was the man.

But, what was going on?

Nori forced himself to his feet and swayed slightly, though he managed to keep his footing.

"-Stop it, Denjiro! You can't do this!" Hisaka cried, tears flowing freely down her face.

Denjiro's face was blank, with only resignation showing in his eyes. "He's a kekkei genkei wielder, Hisaka. An abomination. He has to die."

Nori's eyes widened to saucers upon hearing that. "Otou-san?" He mumbled, confused. His own father couldn't

"But Fuji-sama said-!"

"Fuji lied, and he seems to have forgotten that he is not the only sensor in this clan. There will be a clan meeting after _this _is dealt with." Denjiro said through gritted teeth.

Nori's legs began shaking, though neither adult seemed to be paying attention or notice him.

"I-I won't let you!" Hisaka tightened her grip on his arm.

"Hisaka. This must be done." Denjiro wasn't looking at her.

"After all this time has passed you-you can't- Nori's our _son _Denjiro!"

"Hisaka. Release me."

Hisaka shook her head, her whole body shaking.

Denjiro ground his teeth together and forcibly wrenched his arm away from her, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground beside him.

"Kaa-san!" Nori called worriedly, though he was too terrified to move.

Denjiro took a step forward and locked eyes with Nori, his expression morphing into something of ingrained hatred. Killing intent radiated out from him.

Nori stumbled backwards, falling flat on his butt. He closed his eyes to try and block out the killer intent, forcibly showing him all the ways that his _own father _could kill him, but it didn't work. The images still came to him behind his closed eyelids, forcing their way into his subconsciousness.

"Stop!" Nori yelled in desperation, forcing his hands up to the sides of his head.

The killing intent tapered slightly as Denjiro paused, conflicted. For a second, looking at Nori, he let himself consider allowing the boy to live. For a second. He shook himself and put his hands together, quickly making a few hand-signs, ending with his hand in the ox seal.

Hisaka stood and ran, holding her hands out to her sides as she skidded to a stop in front of Nori on the muddy ground. "Stop this, Denjiro. Please."

Denjiro paused for a few moments. "Get out of the way, Hisaka."

"No. Kill me instead." Hisaka dropped her hands, and her shoulders straightened.

Denjiro's eyes flickered for a moment before he eyed her, as if considering her statement. He flipped open his weapons pouch and brought out a kunai, holding it in front of him.

Hisaka's face blanched, but she did not show any other outward signs of her fear, nor did she move.

Denjiro took slow steps forward until he was standing right in front of Hisaka.

"No!" Nori yelled, standing up only to stumble and fall forward onto his knees.

Hisaka shook, but she closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. "Do it." She turned her head away from him.

Denjiro spun the kunai until he was holding the sharp end and brought the blunt end down on the side of Hisaka's head.

She crumpled instantly but not before whispering an anguished, "I'm sorry, Nori."

"Kaa-san!" He yelled.

Denjiro caught her as she fell. "I'm sorry too." He mumbled as he carefully put her down on the ground.

Once he straightened, he locked eyes with Nori, his eyes forming the same hand seals as before but this time with no one to interrupt him. "Water Style: Water Whip Jutsu."

Leftover water from his last jutsu rose up from the ground, and began to form a whip-like shape as it rose in mid-air to meet Denjiro's open hand. As soon as the whip touched his palm Denjiro closed his hand around it, pulling the length of it back.

Nori's eyes were wide in paralyzing fear. He looked at his mother's crumpled body and then at the whip in his father's hand. Nori willed his body to move, to run, to do something, but he couldn't. He couldn't move.

Denjiro extended his arm forward in a quick motion, and the whip followed his actions. The whip raced towards Nori and wrapped itself around his neck when it was mere inches from his face.

Nori looked at Denjiro with a mixture of surprise and terror. This wasn't what he had expected the whip to do. He grasped uselessly at the whip around his neck and choked as it tightened, cutting off his airway. His desperately gasped for air, his face turning red from the effort.

"Die, abomination." Denjiro said simply, without a trace of emotion.

"I.. Don't.. Want.. To.. Die.." Nori choked out, as tears escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, melding with the water around his neck.

Denjiro didn't reply.

Nori struggled against the water whip but it held firm against his neck, only extending slightly when Nori tried to lean backwards to get away from it. His face was turning a purplish-blue color. Nori heard a cracking sound and glanced down where a tiny ice spike protruded from the ground directly in front of him. For a few long seconds Nori just stared at it in utter incomprehension, and then another, larger ice spike appeared a few feet in front of the first. Nori glanced up. Denjiro was staring at the whip in his hands and didn't seem to be paying any attention to Nori.

Nori looked down again, though his vision was blurring in and out. The ice spikes were getting larger and larger as they went forward, one heading directly for his mother. He strained against the water whip and wanted to yell out but he was becoming increasingly more tired, his head lolling forward.

He tried a weak attempt at breathing in and proceeded to lose consciousness.

(-)

When Nori woke next, he was lying facedown in the mud. He felt his sore neck first. As he reached his left hand up to rub at his neck, he stopped halfway as the memories from earlier slowly filtered back to him. Nori dropped his hand and scrambling to his feet, ignoring the pain coming from his chest.

Everything was eerily silent. Nori spotted his mother's still body first, lying in the same place as before. He turned his gaze away from her and looked up at Denjiro, his eyes widening. Denjiro's head was hanging forward, obscuring his face, but blood still dripped down into a puddle that had formed on the ground in front of him. He saw the tip of an ice spike coming out from the top of his chest, trapping him in place. Ice spikes had traced a straight line starting from Nori, getting larger and larger as they went on. Then, they inexplicably turned at the spot Nori last remembered seeing his father and had followed him to his current position.

Nori stared at the blood dripping from his father's body, and then at the ice spike through his chest.

Did he.. did he kill..?

Nori's legs shook at the thought. His tore his gaze away from the body and focused on his mother's form. He stumbled towards her until he fell onto his knees in front of her.

Nori lightly shook her shoulder.

"Kaa-san, wake up."

His mother remained still, too still. Her features were uncharacteristically pale.

"Kaa-san!" He said again, shaking her harder.

A confused frown came onto Nori's face when she didn't respond. He felt something wet on his hands and looked at them, only to see the dark red of blood staining them. He stared at his hands, wide-eyed, unable to process what he was seeing. His hands began shaking. He slowly turned his gaze to the side. Blood covered his mother's entire abdomen, stemming from a tiny hole in the center of her stomach. Dried blood clung to the bottom of her clothing and pooled on the ground around her, but fresh blood still seeped out from her wound. Nori's bottom lip trembled, and tears filled his eyes.

Nori couldn't help the tears that slid down his cheeks, or the sniffling sound he started to make. He buried his face in her lower chest, not caring that blood was seeping into his clothes. "Kaa-san, don't leave me." He pleaded, his voice muffled.

Nori stilled when he felt a hand settle on the back of his head.

"It's okay, Nori. It's okay." His mother's voice was barely a whisper.

Nori's head shot up and the hand fell away. His eyes were wide with unshed tears. "Kaa-san..?"

Hisaka's eyes were still closed, but her mouth was moving. "I'll always love you."

His breath hitched in a sob. "Please. Don't leave." He begged her.

A faint smile graced Hisaka's lips. "I'm sorry, Nori."

Nori lowered his head, tears dripping onto the ground below him. "It's my fault."

Hisaka coughed violently and a trail of blood formed at the corners of her mouth. She grimaced. "Don't say that. It's not your fault, it's not anyone's fault." Hisaka grasped Nori's hand in hers and weakly squeezed it.

Nori held tight onto her hand, and leant forward until his head rested on her chest. And he sobbed, long after his mother's hand went slack.

Despite the situation, despite fact that the only family he'd ever known was ripped from him, and despite the deafening silence around him, Nori fell asleep.

(-)

Eight Hours Later.

"Kaa-san!" Nori bolted upright with a scream, the image of his mother's lifeless face burned into his mind. He shook his head to banish the image away and rubbed furiously at his eyes, trying to stem the flow of oncoming tears.

_It was a bad dream, _He told himself. _Just a-_

"Oh good, your awake." A voice said cheerfully.

Nori's eyes widened and he darted his gaze towards a figure sitting in front of him. He scrambled backwards in surprise and frantically glanced around, but spotted nothing but water all around him.

"Whe-Where am I?!" Nori rasped, his words dissolving into a cough as his throat burned.

"On a boat, somewhere in the Land of Water." The voice informed him happily.

Nori gripped the sides of the boat and his breathing hitched, remembering his dream. "Where's kaa-san and otou?!"

The figure glanced at him with mild sympathy, setting the oars that he was holding down. "They're dead."

Nori shook his head rapidly. "You-You're lying! It was just a bad dream. Soon Haji-nii'll wake me up and.. and.." His voice cracked and he found his vision blurring with tears.

The figure said nothing, instead turning away from him.

Images of his impaled father and dying mother sprang up unbidden. He realized the scenes in his head were real, _too real_, to have been a dream, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Nori clutched the sides of his head as tears slid down his cheeks. He shut his eyes tightly, willing the images away. "No... nonononono!" His grip tightened on the sides of his head, pulling painfully at his hair. "I.. I killed them.." He whispered in horror. "I killed kaa-san and otou..."

The figure remained silent.

"How..? I didn't-I wouldn't.." Wide-eyed, Nori looked at the figure for answers. He needed someone, _anyone, _to give him an explanation, even if it was from someone who he'd just met.

"Your kekkei genkai became active under extreme desperation and stress, in other words, when your father was trying to kill you. Until then, it was dormant. You might not have intended to harm them but.." The figure raised one shoulder in a half-shrug.

Nori pulled his legs up to his chin, wrapping his arms around them. His parents were _dead, _and it was his fault. His chest felt hollow, and unbearably _empty _inside.

They sat in silence for a short while before Nori spoke again.

"Who are you?" He asked desolately, his voice much duller.

The figure picked up the oars again. "Kaito." His voice reacquired its former cheerfulness.

"Why am I here?" His gaze lowered until he was staring numbly at the floorboards.

"Because the entirety of the Kouhei clan wants you dead." Kaito said bluntly, gently rowing forward.

This caught Nori's attention, and he stared at Kaito's back in shock. "What?"

"Once found out, it didn't take long for word to spread around the clan that the head's adoptive son was a kekkei genkai user, the very thing that the clan head was known to be actively against." Kaito explained, sounded amused. "Then, when the head missed an emergency meeting an elder, Bakin, discovered the deceased bodies of the clan head, his wife, and his _alive _son. He called another emergency meeting afterwards, where they discussed the son's fate, afterBakin had him drugged so that he couldn't escape." Kaito shifted slightly into a more comfortable position as Nori waited for him to continue. "Five out of seven of those at the meeting immediately wanted him strung up and killed. One was undecided, and another was looking for an alternative solution. The two who did not want him dead were the clan elders, one who was known for having a soft spot for children." Kaito paused, gathering his thoughts. Then he sighed. "And since the elders decisions weigh more than anyone else's, Fuji got to decide what to do with the boy. After the meeting, Fuji sent someone to give me a message about the adopted son, and his situation. You see, as an elder, he knew of all the missions that everyone in the clan were on or had been assigned, so he knew of my diplomatic mission to Konoha and requested that I take the son with me, to, 'spare him his impending fate if he were to remain in Kiri.' It took a bit of convincing.. and bribing.." He mumbled the last part under his breath. "...But eventually I accepted his request."

It took Nori a few long, confused moments to understand the entirety of what Kaito had said. "Oh." He mumbled dejectedly, taking a shaky breath. He was truly and utterly alone. "Why Konoha?" He tried to think back to what he knew about Konoha, but, instead, found himself trapped in the memory of his mother teaching him how to read. Nori released a deep, ragged breath.

"Konoha is the most welcoming of the shinobi nations, and the most likely to accept you with the fewest questions. The other nations, with the exception of Suna, are more... 'difficult' to be welcomed into as an outsider." Kaito explained.

Nori's arms tightened around his legs. "Are you.." He looked up at Kaito with tension clear in his face. "Are you a Kouhei?"

Kaito stilled, the oars in his hand seeming to freeze in mid-air. "Yes." He glanced back at Nori. "My mother is a Kouhei." He admitted with a sigh.

Nori rested his head in between his knees, and closed his eyes, too worn to question Kaito further.

After a moment, Kaito continued rowing.

The rest of the journey passed in relatively awkward silence, in which Kaito attempted to make small-talk with Nori from time to time, only for Nori to refuse to participate each and _every_ time.


End file.
